Monthly Archives: March 2015

The in basket: Karen Ebersole writes, “I saw in the Sun
that they are starting a new addition to Harrison Hospital in
Silverdale, starting in the fall? Really? With the closure of
Bucklin Hill Road, and now this new construction on the other major
road out of Silverdale? Am I wrong in thinking this is going
to be more than a nightmare?”

I asked Kitsap County Public Works whether construction of the
new hospital may affect plans to ameliorate the congestion from the
year-long Bucklin Hill Road closure and if the hospital has been
asked or ordered not to interfere with traffic in its part of
Silverdale while the road is closed. The new hospital is to be next
to the existing one at Ridgetop Boulevard and Myhre Road.

The out basket: County Traffic Engineer Jeff Shea replied, “We
do not have a final mitigation plan for the hospital and don’t know
what road improvements may be part of their plan.

“We did have the discussion with Harrison about road work
occurring during the bridge project. They are aware that no
road work impacting the Ridgetop corridor can take place during the
work on Bucklin Hill.”

As an aside, since this column may be the first some drivers
have heard about the impending road closure, it is to widen Bucklin
Hill Road, replace culverts through which Clear Creek passes
beneath the road, and extend water mains to the east of the
project. It will begin in July.

The in basket: Tom Baker of the Bremerton city electronics shop
spotted a legal ad in one of last week’s Kitsap Suns seeking bids
on a Kitsap County project that involved “high friction surface
treatments.” Can you explain what high friction surface treatment
is, where it will be applied and how are the locations chosen? Are
there any locations nearby where it has been used, and what were
the results?”

The add said it would be applied in seven locations and is
expected to cost between $400,000 and $415,000.

The out basket: Jeff Shea, the county’s traffic engineer said,
“A common cause for collisions on roads is running off the road,
especially in curves. When the pavement is wet, or the
motorist is going just a little too fast, they can lose traction
and slide off the road.

“The Federal Highways Administration has developed a High
Friction Surface Treatment that they are testing throughout the
country. The test so far have shown significant collision
reductions at curves where motorists frequently run off the
road.

“Just as the title suggests, the high friction surface treatment
consists of a specially engineered, durable high friction aggregate
bound to the pavement with a polymer resin binder. The
aggregate is different from a simple chip seal application.
The most commonly used aggregate is a calcined bauxite. Not
only does the aggregate have a high friction factor, another
important feature of the bauxite is its resistance to polishing
(smoothing). So the aggregate maintains its high friction
characteristic for many years and reduces instances where vehicles
run off the road.

“A review of collision histories identified several test
locations where run off the road collisions occur. We will be
testing the High Friction Surface Treatment at Hood Canal
Drive’s hairpin curve, Hood Canal Drive and Cliffside Road,
Barber Cutoff Road between its Tuckerman Avenue intersections, Baby
Doll Road and Collins Road, North Road above Long Lake
Road, Riddell Road and Perry Avenue and on Central Valley
Road at Anna Road.

“Based on the results of these tests this surface may be
considered in other areas,” Jeff said.

The in basket: Donald Hein e-mailed to say, “Southbound, leaving
the freeway at Silverdale, at the end of the off-ramp two lanes are
left-turn to East Bremerton and one lane is right-turn to
Silverdale.

“More-or-less opposite the left-turning lanes at the end of the
off-ramp is a traffic signal. And, at the end of the off-ramp
is a Yield sign, which can only apply to right-turning traffic.

The question is: Does the traffic signal on the opposite
side control only the left-turning lanes? In other words, are
right-turning vehicles required to stop when the signal is red, or
are they controlled only by the Yield sign, and thus can proceed
cautiously without making a full stop?

“This situation occurs most obviously when traffic from
Silverdale is making a left turn across the front of the off-ramp,
on their way to the on-ramp for the freeway northbound.

The out basket: The Yield sign controls the right turn, and the
traffic signals control only the left turns. Even without the Yield
sign, right turners would be able to make a legal right turn on red
after stopping and yielding. The sign was added to make it clear
that stopping isn’t necessary if there is no conflicting traffic
heading toward Silverdale, reducing backups of right turners.

If accidents become enough of a problem there, I would expect
adding a stop sign for right turners would be the first step.

State Trooper Russ Winger says, “We do get our share of rear-end
collisions here. Invariably they are caused when the lead
right-turning vehicle‎ starts into the turn and then stops when
they see approaching traffic from the left. The following vehicle
driver assumes the lead vehicle is continuing the turn as they look
to the left for traffic and they fail, in that brief moment, to
observe that the lead vehicle has stopped.

“There is usually traffic stopped in the two left-turn lanes
that hinders vision for the right-turning vehicle until they get
into the turn a bit. Not a great design there, in my opinion.

“Myself and other troopers have investigated more than a few
rear-end collisions with similar sequence of events. In my
experience the‎ rear vehicle is at fault in most instances‎,” Russ
concluded.

I don’t see anything ambiguous about where the
traffic signals are situated. And I can’t picture wording on
signs next to the signal heads that wouldn’t cause more confusion
than they’d eliminate.

The in basket: Kitsap County Public Works has put out a couple
of alerts about construction beginning on a bypass lane on Sidney
Road in South Kitsap at Shannon Drive, which is the main road into
the Parkview Terrace housing development.

One said in part: “The project widens the travel lanes from the
current 11 feet to 12 feet; constructs a 12-foot southbound bypass
lane; and paves and widens the existing gravel shoulders from six
feet to eight feet.”

It sounds like a project to get left-turners out of the through
traffic to cut down on rear-end accidents.

But I had only heard the word “bypass” used in terms of long
stretches like those around Purdy and Sequim, and proposed for
Belfair. I asked what’s the difference between a bypass lane and a
left-turn lane.

The out basket: Dick Dadisman of public works said, “As you
surmised, the purpose of our Sidney Road Bypass Lane project is to
make left turns safer from rear-end crashes at the Shannon Drive
intersection.

“The section of Sidney Road from Wildwood Road to Shannon Drive
has a history of vehicle collisions with the Sidney Road / Shannon
Drive intersection ranked 38th out of the 128 high
accident intersections evaluated by Kitsap County.

“The bypass lane will allow southbound vehicles the opportunity
to move to the right and pass vehicles stopped and waiting to make
a left turn at Shannon Drive. With the close proximity of the
Wildwood Road and Shannon Drive intersections, there is not
sufficient separation between these intersections to construct
left-turn channelization. Therefore, the bypass lane design was
chosen.”

The in basket: Tom Wisniewski said in an e-mail, “When one is
traveling ‘east’ on Highway 16 toward Tacoma there are signs
stating ”Correctional Facility – Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers” but
there are no similar signs on the westbound side of the
highway.

“Do they think no one wants to escape to Kitsap County?”

The out basket: Claudia Bingham Baker of state highway’s Olympic
Region says they just provided what the Department of
Corrections requested near the Purdy women’s prison.

So I asked Corrections, and Norah West of their public relations
staff had to ask around before telling me, “It’s likely that years
ago, when the original signage request was made to the Department
of Transportation, the Department of Corrections requested a sign
for eastbound lanes since the facility is on the eastbound-facing
side of Highway 16.

“We’ll certainly look into whether it makes sense to request
that DOT place a similar sign for the westbound lanes. We’d also
recommend that, no matter which side of the road, drivers use
universal caution and common sense when encountering pedestrians on
the highway.”

The in basket: A Road Warrior blog commenter in December, who
signed as Lonna, is upset with the yellow flashing left-turn
signals Kitsap County uses. She said she got into an accident at
one, but didn’t say where.

“I approached an extremely busy intersection with four lights
for the left turning lane,” she said. Her signal was green. “As I
was crossing over the crosswalk, it turned to a flashing yellow
arrow. I proceeded to yield to oncoming traffic then it turned a
solid yellow arrow. The oncoming traffic was still thick and there
were no gaps for me to complete my left turn.

“When I finally got my chance to turn, my light turned red. The
person to the left of me was at a red stop light waiting to make
her turn when her light turned green and she took off right away
and gunned it. As I was completing my left turn, she smashed into
me.

“Now it’s a big mess. My car was totaled and my son and I have
serious neck injuries. Her insurance company is trying to say that
we are both at fault 50/50.

“I know that the rules of the road are that just because your
light turned green doesn’t mean you can go. You must make sure the
intersection is clear of any traffic, pedestrians, emergency
vehicles or hazards.

“I think these lights are ridiculous and maybe set that way
intentionally to cause these accidents so the city can make money.
There has gotta be a better way!”

I recall in my youth hearing of something called the “last clear
chance” rule, meaning a driver can be deemed at fault in an
accident if he or she was clearly able to avoid an accident set up
by the illegal actions of another driver, but proceeded anyway.

I asked State Trooper Russ Winger about that and how he views
the situation Lonna describes.

The out basket: Russ said he is not familiar with the ‘last
clear chance’ law.

But “the situation your reader found herself in is fairly
simple,” he said. “She is correct IF she was in the
intersection legally waiting to make the left turn. She would have
the right of way to complete her turn. The driver that was stopped
at a red light and proceeding on green when the light changed …
must yield to vehicles already legally transiting the
intersection.

“If your reader’s scenario is factual, then I do not agree that
(she is) 50 percent at fault or even at fault. I would, in fact,
write the other driver an infraction for fail to yield right of
way.”

The county has begun adding signs to signals with the yellow
flashing left turn indicators, making it clear that those turning
must yield, and recently decided the Kitsap Mall Boulevard-Randall
Way intersection in Silverdale is too complex to keep them
there.

And the state doesn’t use them at its intersections.

But they are very popular with most drivers, me included. They
reduce time spent waiting and pollution discharged from idling
vehicles, and reduce the length of holding area needed in left turn
lanes. I’d hate to see them go.

The in basket: Kelli Lambert says in an e-mail, “I am wondering
about the routing of bike traffic when the bikes off-load from the
ferry (in Bremerton). I drop my husband off around 7 a.m. for the
7:20 ferry, and quite often the stream of bikes (which my husband
and I refer to as the ‘Tour de France’) comes riding past me very
close on the driver’s side, against the one-way traffic.

“The other day they all started whizzing across First Street and
a Kitsap Transit bus came awfully close to hitting one. It’s dark
and congested at that time of day.

“I assume many of the bicyclists are going to the shipyard for
work. What is the actual route they are supposed to take? And does
the Bremerton Police enforce it at all?” she asked.

The out basket: I get many complaints of this kind, bicyclists
using their smaller size and mobility to do things cars aren’t
physically able to, whether it’s legal or not.

In this case, it’s not. Lt. Pete Fisher of Bremerton police
says, “Bicyclists on the roadway must obey the rules of the road,
the same as a vehicle. This includes traveling the right way
on one-way streets. This has been an ongoing issue that we
have tried to address and will continue to address.”

Oddly, these bikers can get away with what they are doing if
they stay out of the roadway, use the sidewalk and don’t endanger
any pedestrians while so doing. Permission to ride on sidewalks,
cautiously, is the main exception to the rule Pete states about
bicyclist’s having to obey the rules of the road.

Otherwise, they should do what cars do, go around the block
to get to the shipyard in the traffic lanes.

The in basket: Jenni Booth has a question about Kitsap Transit
practices along Highway 305 on Bainbridge Island.

“I see paved bus stop pull-out areas consistently on the island
along the highway,” she said. “Unfortunately, I also rarely see
them being used. “Kitsap Transit buses routinely stop in the
traffic lane, impeding traffic and creating a hazard as traffic
often pulls into the oncoming lane to pass. Many mornings and
evenings the delay of cars grows and grows behind the buses as they
do this down Highway 305.

“If there are bus pull-outs, why are they not being used as a
means to help traffic flow? I’m sure it has something to do
with difficulty merging back into traffic, but this can’t be a
viable solution for that. Is it even legal for the bus to
impede traffic like this where there are clearly marked pull-outs
for the bus?” she asked.

The out basket: This evidently is a long-standing problem. as
suggested by a Feb.11, 2004 Road Warrior column addressing it. Otto
Spieth hypothesized then, as Jenni does now, that the drivers don’t
want to have to fight their way back into the heavy traffic. I said
then that it must be scary part of their job.

John Clauson, Kitsap Transit’s service development manager then,
said staying in the roadway has more to do with not sinking into a
soft shoulder or letting passengers out in an unsafe place.

John now is transit’s executive director and had this to say
about Jenni’s complaint.

“Buses, all commercial buses, are allowed to stop on state
highways at locations clearly posted as Bus Stop locations.
Stops without signs, commonly called ‘Flag Stops,’ are not allowed
on state highways.

” KT bus operators should be pulling off the roadway and into
the designated pullout, allowing traffic to safely pass the bus
while passengers are boarding or alighting. For safety
reasons, Kitsap Transit requires operators to pull completely off
the roadway with room required available for customers to board and
alight. Operators are not permitted to straddle the fog
line. They must be completely to the right of the fog line
(if it is safe) or remain completely in the roadway (to the left of
the fog line) with flashers activated.

“As recent as April 2, 2014, a memo was posted reminding
operators that they are required to pull buses completely off the
SR 305 roadway if it is safe to do so.

“Your observation (in your 2004 article) was absolutely
correct. Pulling back into traffic is, indeed, ‘a scary
adventure.’ Bus operators cannot just turn on the Yield
flasher and immediately pull into traffic. With the size and
bulk, it’s a slower process and most motorists are generally
unwilling to slow down and allow a lumbering bus to pull out in
front of them. Additionally, they do not want to follow a
slow-moving bus and are unaware of the law requiring them to yield
to transit buses (RCW 46.61.220).

“Our operations manager will repost the 2014 Memo reminding all
operators to use the pullouts on SR 305. Perhaps you can
remind your many readers of the law requiring motorists to yield to
buses merging back into traffic. In addition, if your readers
do continue to see problems, please have them call us directly to
allow us to more efficiently track and investigate the issue.”

The in basket: Walt Juneau
writes, “I’ve long thought that the markings for the center turn
lane on three-lane roads is illogical. The outside line is solid
yellow which means, I think, do not cross. The inside line is a
broken yellow one which means you can cross. It should follow,
then, that it is illegal to turn into the center lane, but legal to
turn out of it. What am I missing here?”He
said the need to cross solid yellow and solid white lines make the
intersection of Mullenix and Bethel roads in South Kitsap
particularly troublesome when one wants to turn onto Spencer Avenue
to get to Morrison Gravel.“The
way the lanes are laid out it is impossible to turn right then left
to access the road to Morrison without crossing an assortment of
do-not-cross lines,” he said. “When leaving Morrison’s to turn
right to get to Mullenix Road requires crossing the same lane
markings. If one were to obey the markings, it would require taking
a very round-about way to go across a short
distance.“Any
thoughts on the matter other than to check carefully for police
cars first?”The
out basket: Walt’s basic premise that drivers are not to cross
solid yellow or solid white lines is in error. You are not to pass
other vehicles in a two-way turn lane, or cross a double yellow
line to pass in any location. But turning across them is
legal.State Trooper Russ Winger says, “There is no
reason one cannot turn legally in either place your writer
mentions. Turn lanes are often marked with a solid on the left and
solid with skipped (lines) to inside on the
right.“I think in situations where turns are not safe
or need to be prohibited, additional signage or markings are often
used to emphasize the intent. It is not illegal to turn late into
or out of a left-turn lane as long as it is done with safe
movement.“The
18-inch-wide solid or cross-hatched lines constitute a barrier and
should not be crossed,” he addedSo you
can cross a solid white line, even to leave a turn lane to return
to the through lane, as long as you are entering a legal driving
lane. The shoulder and gore areas at freeway ramps are not legal
driving lanes, so driving across those solid white lines is
illegal. So is crossing a double white line, such as sometimes
demarcates an HOV lane.As
always, crossing any line into another lane requires yielding to
vehicles in that lane.

The in basket: A couple more
inquiries about right turns have come in, one a golden oldie but
the other a real head scratcher.Shirley Mildes read the recent Road Warrior
column about turning right on a red arrow, which is legal, and
asked if that’s also true of the second lane in at a
double-right situation like at the end of 11th Street at Kitsap Way
in Bremerton.And
Pat Ryan of Brownsville came up with a doozy that really required
some thought.She
said Brownsville Highway, where it ends at Highway 303 (Waaga Way)
has two lanes for turning left to go toward Bremerton, and room for
two cars abreast to the right.She
asked if a driver legally could drive past a car sitting to the far
right, and turn right into the center lane of 303, approximating
the kind of move Shirley asked about. Or do the same thing
simultaneously with the other vehicle.The
out basket: As I’ve written before, a right on red is
available to those in both right turn lanes if they come to a
full stop and yield, and no signs prohibit it. The driver in the
second lane also must turn into the second lane available, so as
not to conflict with anyone turning from the outside
lane.As for Pat’s question, State Trooper Russ Winger
was doubtful after viewing the intersection.“Truthfully, I have not seen anyone make a right
turn from the middle lane to the inside northbound lane,” he said.
“I sat there for nearly 30 minutes while watching fairly heavy
traffic move through the intersection and did not see one vehicle
make that turn.“It
seems laid out in such a way that does not lend itself to making
that turn. I think you could make a case that the turn is
prohibited -and citable – by the signs and lights even though you
could make the turn fairly.”The
question is complicated by the fact the edge line on Brownsville
Highway ends well short of the intersection. If it didn’t it would
better channelize the right turn and not leave room for two cars to
make the turn at the same time without one of them crossing over
the edge line, which is illegal.The
signals aren’t much help with this issue. They have both ball and
left-pointing arrow indications.But
the signs mounted between the signal heads probably clarify it as a
single right turn lane. One is an arrow pointing left and the other
has arrows pointing both left and right. That’s two lanes to the
left and one to the right.It’s
all kind of academic. It made for a good mental exercise, but I
doubt that many drivers would even think about making such a turn,
let alone actually do it.